Son of Mine
by PixelEm
Summary: Marlin will not let anything hurt his son - and he will make sure of that. (One-shot - Set before the first movie)


**With** ** _Finding Dory_** **premiering in just a few days, I figured it was high time I wrote something for these amazing movies :3**

 **Despite how simple this story was in concept, I actually had to do a bit of research on coral reef fish and how fish "aging" works. Guess I know now what it was like for Andrew Stanton working on the first movie XD**

 **Also, a little timeline note: this story is set before the first movie, a few weeks after Nemo hatches. Plus if any of the fish terminology confuses you, here's a mini-glossary: a "fry" is the fish equivalent to a month-old human baby, and a "fingerling" is about first-grader age (think Nemo's age in the first movie).**

 **Now, with all that said, please enjoy my first** ** _Finding Nemo_** **fic!**

 **DISCLAIMER: Despite the fact that I grew up watching and cherishing and feeling oh-so close to it, I do not own** ** _Finding Nemo._**

Different fish greeted the day in different ways. Such was the case as the sun rose high above the coral reef neighborhood. A family of crabs crawled out of the sand and stretched. Goby children swam eagerly out of their home, only to be rounded back up by a scolding parent. A parrotfish couple coaxed their youngest, now an early fingerling, out of their home to find its own coral to eat that morning.

And at the very peak of the reef, between the tentacles of the bright pink anemone, Marlin poked his head out. He scanned the area, never letting anything besides his face exit his home. He looked down at the other families, out at the vast open water.

And he smiled.

 _"_ _Perfect…"_ He sighed, shaking his head. _"…Not a predatory species in sight…"_

"Hey, Marlin!"

"Wha– !?" Marlin leapt backwards, his eyes growing wide. He stared at the slow-swaying tentacles as if he expected a shark to pop in at any second.

Instead, he just heard a light chuckling on the other side.

"I'm sorry– I didn't mean to scare you," said the voice. "You can come out. I'm safe."

Marlin blinked, still keeping his fins clenched protectively in front of his chest. Using his tail he floated towards the entrance, stretched out a fin, and pushed the tentacles aside.

That female parrotfish he'd spotted earlier hovered there, a warm smile pulling at her lips.

"Hello there, Marlin," she said, "It _is_ Marlin, right?"

"Oh… Oh, oh hey." Chuckling Marlin relaxed, swimming back out so half of his body was in the anemone, half out. "Oh boy, _where_ are my manners. Good morning to you too." He cleared his throat. "So, um… did you want to talk to me?"

The parrotfish shrugged. "Just wanted to stop by and say hi. You're not really the most sociable fish, so… no one has really talked to you since you moved in."

Marlin swallowed, staring at the seafloor. He pursed his lips, crossing his fins. "…Well, then…" he mumbled, "…I… I'm sorry that I– "

"Oh no, I wasn't criticizing. I know not every fish wants to talk to everyone."

Marlin smiled. "Heh. Thanks."

A loud crash made both fish jump, Marlin clinging to a tentacle in his shock. They whipped around, looking towards the source of the noise.

In the middle of the reef a much younger parrotfish floated, stifling giggles as she watched a little seahorse swim screaming away from her. Snickering she picked up another rock from the pile by her tail, which Marlin just then noticed, and hurled it at her friend.

 _"_ _Hey!"_ A shout by his side brought Marlin's attention back to the mother parrotfish. Her brows furrowed, her eyes burning as she clenched her teeth. "Madison, knock it off! Leave him alone! Go back to Daddy, _right now!"_

She groaned, massaging the sides of her temples with her fins. Then she glanced at Marlin, grinning as she cocked a brow at him. "Kids, eh?"

Marlin grinned too. "Heh. Yeah. I get it." He shrugged sarcastically. "But you gotta love 'em, right?"

The parrotfish laughed, letting her fins drop back to her sides. "Yeah, I guess…" Then her eyes lit up as she let out a small gasp.

"Hey," she said, facing Marlin, "You and your wife, you had kids with you, didn't you?"

Marlin's smile faded. Out of habit his heart raced, his blood going cold.

"U-Uh…" he managed, forcing his voice not to tremble, "…Y-Yeah…?"

"Can I see them?"

Marlin froze.

"I mean, I know I can't _go in_ , 'cause anemone and all that stuff, but if I could just take a quick look…"

Marlin couldn't hear her. He stared, his mind already tossing around a jumble of possibilities, each of them containing the worst outcomes–

"Marlin?"

Marlin blinked. He stared at her, at her patient, smiling face.

 _"_ _She's a flippin'_ parrotfish _!"_ he scolded himself, _"What– What do you think she'll honestly do? Bite him?"_

"Uh… Uh– Y-Yes, miss. Of course." Marlin placed both fins on the tentacles next to him and pressed them down, motioning towards the anemone's interior. "Go ahead."

The parrotfish swam closer, her eyes alight with anticipation. And as she looked, Marlin turned to look with her.

And there he was.

He was just a fry, no more than a few weeks hatched, lying sound asleep in the middle of the soft anemone bed. He swayed with the soft current, his small tail curled up beside him. His closed eyelids fluttered every so often, making Marlin wonder if he was dreaming.

At the sight of him Marlin felt his usual smile creep across his face. Warmth flooded his chest. He turned to the parrotfish.

"That's my son," he said. "Nemo."

But the parrotfish frowned. She set her jaw.

"Hmm… But– " She pointed. "I thought you came here with your wife and– "

She then gasped, her fins flying to her beak. She turned to Marlin, her eyes widening.

"Oh my gosh…" she mumbled behind her fin, "I… were you…? Did– were you and your wife the family who…?"

Marlin nodded grimly. "Barracuda attack? Just a few weeks ago?"

The parrotfish knitted her brow, her fins dropping. "Oh my goodness, I'm so _sorry!"_ she cried, "I – I'm so sorry, I had no clue that _you_ were the ones who– I had just heard that there was an attack a few weeks back and – Oh my, I am so, _so_ sorry!"

Marlin smiled, shaking his head. "It's fine. Really." He looked back at Nemo, watching his tiny side rise and fall with his breathing.

He sighed, "I'm just glad I found him when I did…"

"Oh!" The parrotfish's concern dissolved, replaced with sudden intrigue. She peered into the anemone again. She squinted. "Is he…? His – please excuse me for noticing, but…

"Does he… Does he have a deformed fin?"

An icy arrow flew through Marlin's heart. He pursed his lips, nodding. "Yeah…"

If he just tilted his head at a certain angle Marlin could see it – Nemo's right fin, almost a quarter of his other fin in size, lightly fluttering in his sleep to keep himself upright.

Marlin stared at it for a few seconds, and then swiftly looked away.

He still couldn't look at it without seeing that… that _monstrous creature_ clamping down on the little egg, spearing the infant inside it–

"Oh, my…" The parrotfish sighed, shaking her head. "Was it because of the barracuda?"

"Yeah…" Marlin nodded. "He was born with it, though. I think he'll swim pretty fine."

She nodded too. "Mm… Well… then you should feel lucky that there won't be any more attacks again soon. Barracudas are never really common around here." She then sucked in a breath, clapping her fins together. She turned to Marlin, putting on another smile.

"Well then, I'd better get my girl to school. Can't miss her first day." She extended a fin. "It was really nice to speak with you, Marlin."

Marlin smiled back and shook her fin. "Yeah, you too. I'll, uh… I'll see you later."

As he watched her paddle away to join her daughter, along with the stream of numerous other parents and children, Marlin swam back into the anemone, letting the tentacles he was holding back sway once more. He looked down at his son – still sleeping, still innocent.

He pressed a fin to his stomach, suddenly noticing the worry festering in there.

 _"_ _She… She wasn't going to do anything… She wasn't… she wasn't one of_ those _things…"_

Marlin heaved a sigh to ease the tension in his chest. He stared at Nemo – now a small smile graced his lips. Seemed like he really _was_ dreaming now, if he was smiling.

Marlin gave a half-grin back. He reached out a fin and stroked Nemo's dorsal fin.

He thought about everything that parrotfish had said. She'd mentioned her own kid – taking her to school – that they had nothing to worry about any more – barracudas never really came by that much –

– and, to top it all off, she'd mentioned how "unsociable" he was – no one ever saw him leave the anemone –

Marlin blinked, a dawning realization passing across his face. His fin froze on Nemo's back. He took in how young he was – in just a few months he'd be a fingerling – he'd have to head off to school just like all those gobies and parrotfish and crabs and whatnot.

Marlin would have to send him out on his _own…_

Marlin huffed, bringing up both his fins and crossing them.

 _"_ _Well… what right does_ she _have to shove into the light how I live my life?"_ he challenged, _"She doesn't get it. Hundreds of_ her _children didn't get eaten with her spouse. I'm only doing what's best for_ all _of us…. Both me and – "_

Marlin's face softened. He looked back at Nemo.

Even though he was just a mere fry, Marlin could definitely detect a personality in the little guy. When he'd first hatched the first thing he did was smile – _smile._ When, from what Marlin had heard from other families, most hatchlings came out screeching. Whenever he woke up from his daily naps he always giggled at his father – and then his gaze always drifted towards the swaying anemone tentacles. He always stared at them with a look of longing –

Marlin turned back around to face those same tentacles. He sighed, pressing down hard on his creased forehead.

 _"_ _Maybe… Maybe I am just being paranoid… nothing's going to stop him from exploring the reef when he grows up… and_ I _certainly can't hold onto his fin forever…_

 _"…_ _Maybe… Maybe I just need to– "_

"HEADS UP!"

Marlin looked up so fast he heard his neck crick. "What– !?"

Then he flinched.

" _Whoa!"_

Marlin yelped, ducking as a mass of purple sailed over his head. He shut his eyes, but he still caught a slightly more detailed peek at the flying object. It looked like it could fit in both his fins combined, and its surface appeared serrated, like a shark's tooth except far more pronounced.

As soon as it registered that those serrated edges were actually spines, Marlin heard a sharp _schritch_ behind him. And once he heard the pained, babyish cry that followed, Marlin's heart dropped to the pit of his gut. His eyes snapped wide open. His mouth dropped.

 _"_ _Oh no…. oh, please no…"_

His stomach churning Marlin spun around. Then he flinched, his fins flying to his gaping mouth to stifle a gasp.

Nemo was awake, hunched into a ball. His tiny body quivered. He scrunched up his face as he wailed hysterically, tears seeping past his shut eyelids and mixing with the ocean water. Just above his good fin there was a red scrape, and behind him sat the culprit.

As soon as Nemo's first scream touched his eardrums Marlin stiffened. He stared at that cut, that thin line of red on his son's fragile body, and Marlin felt his scales go colder than the iciest waters he'd ever swam in.

He blinked.

And then he was suddenly swimming over his home again, ramming his head into the barracuda, trying desperately to make the devil beast back off from his wife – and then it's tail slammed into him, sending him flying back towards the anemone, and the last thing he saw before blacking out was the evil predator snapping its jaws shut on Coral and a single stream of crimson staining the clear waters –

"Nemo!" Marlin raced towards his writhing son. " _Nemo!"_

Nemo didn't seem to notice him. He just kept wailing, his tail and good fin slapping the bed of the anemone in his agony. Marlin swallowed, keeping a trembling fin over the cut, stroking Nemo's dorsal fin with his other.

"N-Nemo, it-it'll be okay…" Marlin coaxed, forcing his voice not to give away his fear, "J-Just… Just let me take a look…"

Sucking in a breath, he checked the injury. While he knew he had seen far worse, that didn't stop Marlin from feeling like someone had just sliced his son's belly open right in front of him.

 _"_ _What in the world could've…?"_

Marlin let his eyes wander further.

A purple sea urchin lay beside Nemo. Marlin swam closer to it and scooped it into his fins, gingerly as to not prick himself on accident. The longer he stared at its spines the more his brow furrowed. A bitter taste rose in the back of his throat.

" _You did this…"_

"Hey! Hey, Mister Clownfish!"

Marlin's grip on the urchin tightened. Anger bubbled in his stomach.

He swam upwards to exit the anemone, the urchin still locked in his death grip. His burning eyes searched the premises until they landed on two young fish, a hermit crab and an angelfish, down by the coral gardens, one of them waving his fins like a pelican would flap its wings.

Once he realized he had caught Marlin's attention, the little fish brightened and settled his fins. "Hey! Sorry I tossed the ball into your house, Mister," he said, "We were just playing."

"Yeah." His friend nodded. "Hey, could you toss it back for us pleas– ?"

"Go away!"

Both kids flinched, their apologetic smiles replaced with horrified stares. Once of them tried to speak again, "W-Wh…W-What – ?"

"I said _go the hell away!"_ Marlin roared, chucking the urchin at the kids' heads. He bared his teeth, his eyes wild. "Take your stupid games somewhere else! You know you could've _killed him!?"_

When all the two did was still stand there, their eyes wide and bottom lips trembling, a fresh rush of hatred flooded Marlin's veins. He put his tail into gear, swimming towards them at a speed he hadn't attempted in weeks.

"Go on! Buzz _off!"_ he snarled, shooing at them violently, "Go slice up someone else's baby!"

The kids screamed, spinning around and swimming in the opposite direction as fast as their tiny fins would allow.

Once the two were far enough away to become dark spots Marlin came to a screeching halt. He heaved his every breath, his head throbbing from adrenaline. "That's right, screw off you little _demons!"_ he spat one last time, kicking sand in their direction with his tail. "Screw off before I throw an urchin at _your_ faces!"

For about half a minute Marlin floated there, bunching his fins into fists and holding his breath. Then he relaxed, letting out a long breath to release the last of his anger. He hung his head and shut his burning eyes. He mumbled aloud, "…Hoo, boy…"

Another high-pitched wail pierced the air, and Marlin tensed up again. His eyes popped open, his gasp ripping through his chest.

"Nemo!" He whipped around and sped back to the anemone. "I'm coming, Nemo!"

Marlin burst through his home's tentacles, his fins already outstretched. Nemo lay on his side now and, much to Marlin's horror, didn't seem to be moving. He'd stopped his loud crying, but he still whimpered like an injured dogfish, his lips pulled taut. As for his actual injury, from how much blood was now welling up in it, to Marlin it seemed like the cut had widened and deepened the entire time he'd been chasing down those kids.

A sharp pang shot through Marlin's chest. "Oh, no…" he mumbled. "…Oh, no, no no no no…"

He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing the sides of his temples. "Okay, okay, just…. Calm down, Marlin…" he reassured himself, "Okay… did I ever get cut like that as a kid? No– wait– did an _urchin_ ever cut me? Oh man, he's so young– I don't know– could the poison have– ?"

He wracked his brain. But every time a possible solution arose, it dashed away before he could grasp it. His heart pounded even harder.

 _"_ _Ohmanohmanohmanohman…"_

Marlin then shook his head, so hard his skull ached. He opened his eyes and, looking down at his son, pressed a fin to Nemo's rapidly rising and falling side.

"Don't you worry." He steeled his voice. "Daddy will be right back."

Then, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, Marlin took off through the tentacles.

He scanned the area, squeezing his fins together. He finally spied a patch of dark green coating the side of a rock just below him, at the very bottom of the ocean floor, and with a squeak of triumph he raced towards it. When he reached the patch he took a few moments to touch it, and even smell it, before he concluded that it was indeed the algae he needed. He wrenched a few clumps from the rock, balling it in his fins. He packed in the clumps he'd grabbed until he had a decently compact ball and, after making sure he didn't miss any stray threads, clutched the ball to his chest and swam upwards again.

"Nemo!" Marlin brushed aside the anemone's tentacles and swam in. He floated above his son, holding up the algae ball.

He looked down at him.

Nemo wasn't crying anymore. He wasn't even whimpering. He lay there with his eyes shut, the water's steady current making his tail and free fin wave lifelessly. To Marlin the only sign that his son was still alive was the tiny rise and fall of his side, coupled with the quick, shallow breaths puffing out of his mouth.

Marlin froze. He was going to lose him. If he didn't do this he would lose his beautiful baby boy like he lost all of his daughters and sons and his gorgeous wife and–

Marlin shook his head, taking a fin off the algae ball to slap his left cheek. _"_ _Snap_ _ **out of it!"**_ he told himself roughly.

He shut his eyes, took in a huge breath, and then opened them again to stare down at his son.

"Nemo." He spoke in a hushed tone as he drifted down, using his now free fin to stroke Nemo's side. "Nemo. It's okay, buddy. Daddy's here."

Clutching the algae in his other fin, he gently ran the ball along the welling cut.

"Daddy's got you…"

As he wiped away the crusted blood Marlin never dared to take his fin off of Nemo's side. He kept it up, pouring every ounce of sincerity into his voice as he crooned, "That's it, buddy… just… you'll be okay… you'll be okay…"

Though he kept his body and words calm, internally, Marlin felt as though he could explode with how fast his heart was beating.

 _"_ _Oh Lord…"_ he thought, taking in breaths meticulously slowly to calm his nerves, _"Oh Lord oh Lord I hope the venom didn't get into his system….stupid kids… anything could happen to him here… where can I find another anemone– Oh man_ please _don't let the venom get to his system..."_

After a while of rubbing Marlin stopped. He lifted the algae, eyeballing it. The underside was soaked in red, but Nemo's wound had finally stopped bleeding. Marlin realized he had been holding his breath and let it out in a ragged sigh. He tossed the bloody algae behind him, sinking down until he lay directly next to Nemo. He wrapped his fins around his son's tiny body, gently scooping him up so he could embrace him. He shut his eyes, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

 _"_ _Oh, Coral…"_ A few tears pricked Marlin's eyes. _"It… It's okay, Coral… He's safe now…"_

A light stirring knocked him from his thoughts, making him start. He looked down, at the orange bundle in his fins, and his heart leapt.

Nemo stretched out his fins, his tiny jaws parted in a huge yawn. Once he relaxed he opened his eyes. They were tired, yes– tinged with red, yes– but his light orange irises still radiated _life._

Marlin swallowed. "N-Nemo…"

With a babyish moan Nemo turned himself until he was facing his father. He squinted, and then his lips curled into a tiny smile.

And he raised his fin – his little misshapen fin – the fin that Marlin couldn't bear to look at because it always reminded him of how he'd lost everything –

Marlin stared, glancing from Nemo to his fin, fin to Nemo. Then he smiled, his features softening. He lifted his own fin and pressed down on Nemo's little fin, as if he were high-fiving him.

For a few moments they stayed there, their fins touching, both staring into each other's eyes. And while Marlin knew he was a fry, still unable to form many coherent thoughts beyond his basic needs – Marlin could clearly see the love and admiration in his son's eyes. He wondered how he saw him – superfish? Superdad?

 _"_ _Pfft."_ Marlin chuckled, shaking his head. _"Marlin, if you said something that cheesy to Coral, she'd definitely give you The Look…"_

Babyish giggling brought his attention back to Nemo. The little clownfish's grin now stretched up near his eyes as he stared up at Marlin, his free fin curled into a tiny fist. Marlin laughed.

"Oh, what's this?" Marlin lightly jiggled Nemo's disabled fin, raising his brows at his son to enlarge his eyes, "Is this your lucky fin? Is it the lucky one?"

Nemo snickered again, and a sea of warmth flooded Marlin's chest. Then Nemo scrunched up his eyes, his snickering dissolving into another yawn. He rolled over in Marlin's fins until he lay on his belly.

Taking that as some kind of cue Marlin gently set Nemo back onto the anemone bed, taking great care as to avoid jostling him. He ran the back of his fin along Nemo's dorsal fin. Leaning forwards, he kissed Nemo's head.

"I love you, Nemo…" he whispered, "…and I promise that I will never let _anything_ _else_ happen to you…"

 **And there you have it! I apologize if I killed anyone with cute at the end there ;) By the way, if this was riddled with errors,** ** _PLEASE_** **let me know so I can make some edits.**

 **If you guys leave me some reviews and give me constructive criticism that would be** ** _very_** **much appreciated – I'd like to know how I can improve my skills for any future fics for these movies :3**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to writing Zootopia :3 Thanks for reading!**

 **~Pixel**


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